March 20, 2025
Architecture firm ALH Taller has shared photos of Hotel El Zarzo, a brick hotel in Medellin, Colombia, that serves as an urban oasis that combines aesthetic, environmental and social value in every architectural detail.
The hotel’s design maximizes the connection with the exterior, despite being sandwiched between two other buildings, strategically using its eastern and western facades to ensure natural ventilation and lighting.
The hotel frames different views with variations in the windows, including arches and porticos, allowing each room to have views of the gardens and, beyond, the city and its mountains.
The hotel uses natural materials and integrates vegetation into its slabs, which house more than 100 tropical species with an efficient irrigation system.
The hotel has 16 rooms in three typologies, distributed over seven levels. On the first level are the restaurant and lobby, open to both guests and the public.
The terrace, with a vintage-style bar and retractable pergola, offers a flexible space for various activities, consolidating its cozy and exclusive character.
Photography by Daniel Velez